Reception of political advertisements in presidential elections: Comparative analysis of generations X, Y, Z

Political advertisements are strategic communication tools used by political actors to influence public opinion, reach messages to a wide audience, and guide voting behaviors. These advertisements aim to shape the political perceptions and preferences of different segments of society by targeting them. The reception of these advertisements, i.e., how they are perceived and interpreted by the audience, emerges as an important issue in the field of political communication. This reception process plays a decisive role in the voting behaviors of the electorate. In this thesis study, how X, Y, and Z generations perceive the two political advertisement films titled "Sana Söz Yine Baharlar Gelecek" (Promise You, Springs Will Come Again) and "Bay Kemal Sözünden Dönmeyecek" (Mr. Kemal Will Not Go Back on His Word) by Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu has been investigated, and their influence on voting tendencies has been examined. Interviews were conducted with 12 participants from each generation, and the participants' consent was obtained before recording the interviews. In the study, a reception analysis is conducted using Stuart Hall's encoding-decoding approach, applying the semi-structured interview method among qualitative research techniques. Questions prepared in advance were directed to the viewers before and after the film screening, and in-depth interviews were conducted. It was observed that viewers were active during the political advertisement viewing in the study, and the impact of advertisements was found to be quite limited in terms of voting tendency for all three generations. Furthermore, although some differences were observed in the reception process of advertisement films among generations (notably higher rates of dominant and negotiated readings in the younger population), it was concluded that there are no significant and substantial differences in the reception of advertisements. This study focuses on political communication studies and voter behavior, providing significant contributions to the literature in the field. It offers a new perspective to the existing literature by thoroughly analyzing the effects of political advertisements on different generations. These findings serve as an important guide in understanding the intergenerational differences necessary for more effective and targeted political communication strategies.